The iPhone Duo is expected to headline Apple's event today – watch it here at 1pm ET

The iPhone 18 series could play second fiddle to the iPhone Duo at Apple's Surprise and Shine event

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Highly anticipated: Apple's Surprise and Shine event takes place in a few hours, and it could be its most interesting reveal in years. While the iPhone 18 series will likely be another iterative update, all eyes will be on Apple's long-awaited first foldable device, now believed to be called the iPhone Duo. You can watch the whole thing right here at 10am PT/1pm ET.

Given that many phone reveals consist of showcasing a new device that's barely distinguishable from the last one, it's understandable why people are losing interest in these events. But Apple is showing off more than the iPhone 18.

Reports that Apple is developing its first foldable have been around for years. Now, Cupertino looks set to unveil the device. According to a last-minute report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it will be called the iPhone Duo, rather than the previously reported iPhone Ultra.

It's an interesting choice of moniker by Apple, given that Microsoft already used it for the Surface Duo and Duo 2, and who could forget Google Duo? Google, probably.

Unsurprising, the foldable is very expensive. It's expected to start at $2,000 for the 256GB model and reach $3,000 for the top 2TB variant. That's still cheaper than the previous predictions of a $2,500 starting price, though.

For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold starts at a cheaper $1,899, though the Z Fold 8 Ultra has a higher $2,099 starting price.

Gurman also says the iPhone Duo will go on sale as early as October, likely around a month after the iPhone 18 Pro. He adds that it will support the Apple Pencil stylus at launch, which should give some extra appeal over the Z Fold 8 series and its lack of support for the S Pen.

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Previous reports claim the iPhone Duo will sport Apple's C2 modem and use the Apple A20 Pro SoC. We can also expect the iPhone Duo to support side-by-side apps and handle multitasking tasks like an iPad.

Away from the foldable, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max. They're also likely to be powered by the A20 Pro chip, come with a revamped vapor chamber, a smaller Dynamic Island, and a possible variable-aperture camera on the Pro Max.

There had been rumors of a huge price increase of $200 to $300 for the iPhone 18, but Gurman believes it will be the same $100 hike Apple applied to its MacBook Neo in June.

Elsewhere, expect Apple to show off the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, AirPods 5, and possibly the long-rumored smart home display.

Image credit: AppleTrack
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